I recognized the bikes as soon as I pulled my RV into the space it would occupy for the next two days: a pair of brand new matching titanium white Cannondale Trigger carbon frames. Both were chained to the back of a brand new 18' Itasca Class C parked next to me. It still had the dealer ad where license plates would eventually go. Someone has a lot of money.
They were familiar because two days before I had ridden with the women who rode them as part of a group of riders in Moab, sisters it appeared. They were not what you might call cover girl beautiful but they were attractive. The older was curvier, more voluptuous; the younger had a slimmer, more athletic build. It was a large group so we never got to say much to each other but even though there had been several other women in the group, they had stood out.
There's one thing about people who ride mountain bikes regularly: they are really fit. Climbing up a trail and bouncing on the downhill uses almost every muscle in your body. Pretty soon you have no excess fat and great muscle tone everywhere, especially the legs.
I had unhitched my 5th wheel and unloaded some firewood from the bed of the truck when the two came around the corner toward their camper. It looked like they had just left the camp showers. Their hair was matted and wet, each had a towel draped over a shoulder, and both were dressed in loose sleepwear: shorts and matching tank tops. The younger one pointed toward me and whispered something in the older one's ear. They both smiled. I lit a few pieces of kindling and watched the flame lick up the pyramid of logs as dusk settled over the park and the temperature began to drop.
When the wood was fully engulfed, the older woman came out of the Itasca carrying a couple bottles of wine and a carving board. The younger followed a few seconds later with three clear plastic ups, some cheese, a knife, and a box of wheat crackers.
"Moab. Klondike. You rode the Klondike with us in Moab, didn't you?" She set the bottles on the picnic table and sat down. "I'm Kathy," she said, "and this is my daughter Kate. Mind if we join you for some wine and cheese?"
"I thought I recognized the bikes. Please, join me," I stumbled. Daughter? The daughter looked to be around twenty but mom didn't look a day over thirty. "And my name is Rick." I gestured toward the fire. "Look, that table is a long way from the fire. I'm gonna get some chairs so you can stay warm." I opened up one of the bays and pulled out a small folding table and two more folding chairs. In a minute we were all seated about the fire, each with wine in one hand and a small plate of crackers and cheese balanced on our laps.
Kate sat back in her seat and took a sip. "So, what do you think of all that slick rock?"
"Appropriately named, that's for sure," I laughed.
We sipped wine, ate cheese, and talked about our rides in Moab which, for me, was on my bucket list, as was Sedona, where we were now.
"We rode Cockscombe Loop this morning," Kathy said. "Easy after Moab."
Kate chimed in, "Gonna ride it again tomorrow. Easy climb, nice singletrack and fantastic scenery..."
"... half hour ride to the trailhead, then maybe three hours riding. Wanna go with us?" I nodded. Sounded like fun.
Kathy opened the second bottle and passed it around. We started talking about some of the places we'd ridden and some of the people we'd ridden with. I found out that Kathy was a single mom and a partner in a law firm. They had just won a major class action suit and she was taking a few weeks off with some of her bonus. She'd just bought the Itasca and new bikes.
Kate was on spring break from her freshman year at UC Irvine. They lived in Newport and rode a lot of the coastal trails in Laguna, and occasionally the trails around Silverado.
I smiled and we all laughed because I live in Yorba Linda and ride on many of those same trails.
"And you're out here because...?" Kate asked.
I told them that I retired a few years ago and that I was working through my bucket list of Places to Ride Before I Die.
"You don't look old enough to be retired..." Kathy said.
"... well, you don't look old enough to be a mom with a kid in college..."
"... and we both, Kate and me, both agree..." she looked over at her daughter, smiled and winked, "that you had the cutest set of buns of any of the guys in that group."
